Tag: Showtime

Tyson Fury sat down with popular American
podcast host, stand-up comedian and MMA commentator Joe Rogan on
Thursday night. Fury gave an incredible insight into his life since his
triumphant victory against Wladimir Klitschko on Rogan’s extremely
popular podcast ‘The Joe Rogan Experience’ from his studio in LA.

Fury’s mental health issues and road to recovery were explained in
detail by the lineal heavyweight world champion in what was a deep and
inspirational conversation with Rogan.

Tyson of course had time to speak about his upcoming opponent, America’s WBC world heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder.

The two giant athletes go toe-to-toe on December 1st at the Staples Centre, Los Angeles live on BT Sport Box Office.

Tyson told Rogan that he “hand-picked” Wilder as his opponent and
explained how Wilder was a catalyst and motivation for his incredible
comeback to the sport.

“I see this video of Deontay Wilder saying ‘Tyson Fury is finally done’.

“He did this video after seeing this photo of me being fat and said:
‘He’s finally finished and even if I did fight him in his heyday I’d
have knocked him out’.”

The ‘Gypsy King’ also found offence in Wilder’s choice of words towards a
heavyweight great; which happened to be about the boxer that Fury was
named after.

“Before that, he was talking about Mike Tyson and how he’d knock him out in a round.

“And I thought to myself: ‘That’s very disrespectful to talk about
someone who is not even in your era and all that sort of stuff’.

“So, I thought to myself: ‘If I ever do fight you I’m going to give it to you for that reason’.

“And then when I saw the other video of him saying I can’t come back he
gave me that much more motivation to return just so I can beat Deontay
Wilder.”

Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder have been back and forth with each other
dating back to before Fury’s famous upset against Klitschko.

The rivalry between the pair has intensified since the announcement of
the fight and participated in a feisty media tour which saw the
heavyweights come-together on several occasions.

Fury made sure he had the opportunity to share his reason on why he
defeats Wilder convincingly on December 1st when speaking to Rogan.

“Deontay Wilder is a one-trick pony.” stated Fury.

He continued; “I don’t need to do anything special to beat him. I just
need to be myself. Deontay Wilder is looking for that one right hand all
night.”

“It’s a good trick though!” joked Rogan, with Fury responding with “It’s
a very good trick, but we all know what happens when that trick doesn’t
land… you’ve lost!

“You need more than one punch to beat me. You’re going to need to set it
up with footwork, speed, feints, movement and he doesn’t have any of
that.”

“If I get hit by a swinging right hand, I deserve to get knocked out,
it’s my fault, I want it to knock me out, I’d deserve knocking out!”

“If I let Wilder swing one of those wild punches, swinging from the back
of the hall and it hits me and knocks me out, I’d say ‘Thank you very
much for putting me out of my misery! God bless you Wilder!’

“Because obviously I can’t be the great fighter I think I am if I’m getting knocked out by swinging punches.”

Deontay Wilder puts his WBC world heavyweight title on the line
against the lineal heavyweight world champion Tyson Fury in a clash
between the undefeated giants on December 1st at the Staples Centre, LA,
live on BT Sport Box Office.

Legendary Boxing Analyst Has Been Part of the Biggest and Most Memorable Events In Boxing History

NEW YORK (June 13, 2018) – Legendary Boxing Hall of Fame analyst Al Bernstein has reached another career milestone: fifteen years of broadcasting the sport on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING.

Bernstein provided expert analysis for the largest pay-per-view event in television history. He ranks the Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao “Fight of the Century” the most significant broadcast of his career, one that spans three-and-a-half decades.

“I have great memories throughout my more than 37-year television career, but the last 15 years at SHOWTIME have been the most productive and enjoyable,” said the Chicago native and longtime Las Vegas resident Bernstein. “I have worked with extraordinary colleagues both in front of and behind the camera as we chronicled some of the most important and exciting boxing matches of this era.”

Bernstein was ringside providing expert analysis when Anthony Joshua TKO’d Wladimir Klitschko in the spring of 2017 in front of 90,000 raucous fans at Wembley Stadium in London for the IBF and WBA heavyweight world title belts. He places that at No. 2 on his biggest matches list, with Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor right behind that at No. 3. Mayweather also gets the nod at No. 4 as boxing’s all-time great dominated Canelo Alvarez in 2013. Bernstein’s fifth most memorable all-time SHOWTIME moment was in Manchester, England when Joe Calzaghe dominated Jeff Lacy in the mega-fight dubbed “Judgment Day.”

“I’ve had a front row seat to watch great champions in great matches,” Bernstein said. “And I’ve participated in what I think is the best television production in the sport of boxing. I’m honored to have participated in this special period of SHOWTIME Boxing and I am energized by the great fights of today and the future of the sport.”

Bernstein ranks the legendary Diego Corrales vs. Jose Luis Castillo bout as the best fight he has ever covered, followed by Israel Vasquez vs Rafael Marquez 3 and then, the recent Erislandy Lara vs. Jarrett Hurd barnburner from earlier this year. Juan Manuel Lopez vs. Orlando Salido 1 and the Klitschko-Joshua mega fight round out his top five best SHOWTIME fights.

There have been dramatic upsets along the way during Bernstein’s SHOWTIME tenure, with Nonito Donaire vs. Vic Darchinyan ranking at the top of the list, followed by Ricky Hatton vs. Kosta Tszyu; Orlando Salido vs Juan Manuel Marquez; Austin Trout vs. Miguel Cotto and Andre Ward vs. Mikkel Kessler.

“Al Bernstein is one of the most knowledgeable and experienced announcers in sports today,” said Stephen Espinoza, President of SHOWTIME Sports and Event Programming. “Over the past 15 years, Al has called many of the biggest events and greatest matchups in the sport of boxing, and brings a level of expertise unrivaled by any network. Congratulations to Al for what continues to be an exceptional career at ringside.”

Bernstein, who before joining SHOWTIME covered everything from Major League Baseball to the Olympic Games and the NFL Draft, is also an accomplished writer and author. He won the Chicago Newspaper Guild’s Award for best news story in 1975 and published his first book “Boxing for Beginners” in 1978. His most recent work, an enlightening look back at his 30 years in broadcasting (“Al Bernstein: 30 Years, 30 Undeniable Truths About Boxing, Sports, and TV”) was published in 2012. Bernstein has also appeared in a number of movies such as “Rocky V”, “Streets of Gold”, and “Play It to the Bone.”

Bernstein has been recognized by multiple international and state Hall of Fames, but it has not always been about boxing for Bernstein, or even sports. He serves on the board of directors and is a spokesman for Caring Place, a Las Vegas facility that was co-founded by his wife Connie, which provides free services to those whose lives have been touched by cancer.

Bernstein is also a singer and an expert equestrian. He has also performed as a vocalist for the past 30 years doing mostly tunes from the Great American songbook. He has appeared at many casinos in Las Vegas and around the country. Recently he has been performing at the Tuscany Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. As an equestrian, Bernstein participated in a number of celebrity rodeos as both a participant and grand marshal.